They lost track of it, it was not responding. Depending on the water conditions, it's nearly impossible to see 50 feet from you in the water, so if you're not looking in the right spot or looking directly at it, fat chance in finding it.
They should have installed a self-inflating buoy in case the computer stopped giving out a good signal (i.e. "yes I'm running" or "yes I'm communicating"). Might make it a little easier to see if it mysteriously shuts down again, especially if it decides to sink next time.
[citation][nom]hellwig[/nom]They should have installed a self-inflating buoy in case the computer stopped giving out a good signal (i.e. "yes I'm running" or "yes I'm communicating"). Might make it a little easier to see if it mysteriously shuts down again, especially if it decides to sink next time.[/citation]
Uhh, how DEEP was it? If it is an UNDERWATER vehicle then I think it's safe to assume it wasn't floating on the surface. Geesh! Give these guys a break fellas! 50 feet over, 1 mile down? I bet YOU wont find it either!
Was a rope really out of the question? I mean, come on. This idea has been fool proof since the days of the greeks, and even helped some guy kill a minotaur. A MINOTAUR!
[citation][nom]p00dl3_h3r0[/nom]Was a rope really out of the question? I mean, come on. This idea has been fool proof since the days of the greeks, and even helped some guy kill a minotaur. A MINOTAUR![/citation]
Well, yes. The whole point of having an autonomous probe is that you fire and forget while it does all the data logging.